ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Order this CD of Organic Poetry,
and get a free Organic Soap, by
e-mailing your address to:
HalstonPress@hotmail.com

Find more poetry at:
H Style Magazine
www.HStyleMagazineOnline.com

T h e C a l l

There's a call going up
somewhere near the Island
of Sumatra
and it waits
like a bowl of sticky rice
and homemade wine
rises like a wave
that carries away
a grandmother's song
There's a call going up
and it winds
like Cassava through soil
pushes up
like groundnut and coffee
like this yellow moon
in my two mournful hands
There's a call going up
and it follows this Ethiopian woman
like a trail of wet jewels
is heavy as a pound of gold
in Nigerian soil
There's a call going up
and it shifts like a gun
between borders
Feels like a fist full of pills
Shakes
like a little girl
raising her arms
on a rooftop
in New Orleans

--Vu Onyejuruwa
All rights reserved

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WATER IN THE STONES OUTREACH PROJECT

--For more amazing poetry, go to: www.HStyleMagazineOnline.com--

What is “Water in the Stones”? An exciting collection of story-telling through poetry? Yes. But it’s even more than that. It’s the beginning of a conversation.

Our young people are overwhelmed with images. Images of different places; of different people; and images of, what they’re told, are themselves.

“Water in the Stones,” published by Halston Press, has invited students, especially, to delve into issues that face us today. Whether it’s poems like “The Call,” which speaks to what’s happening in our global community; “Cocaine,” a poem about witnessing addiction, or even “Anorexia” which seeks to de-glamorize the horrible disease; you get the sense that a voice is being raised.

And what is this voice saying? That more and more we recognize how the images that we’re presented with, shape who we are and who we imagine others to be.

But who are we underneath all these layers thrown upon us by television and magazines? Who are we outside of what we see in the average film or hear in some of our music?

“Water in the Stones” is asking these questions and students everywhere are beginning to look at themselves more honestly-- and answer.

The response to the collection has been amazing. The author of the work, Vu, gets into those classrooms; on those stages; in those auditoriums; and gives the most expressive, challenging performances from the collection! The audience is even given a chance to respond; anyone who wants; with their own interpretation! Schools and renowned venues alike have embraced the work and are excited by the media attention. In fact, it’s not only what students hear and see, that challenges them; it’s how many of them respond with their own words; their own writing, that has been most engaging. Students are opening up about what they’ve grasped, and what they’re experiencing in their own lives.

In fact, Vu, whose work has touched even the likes of author, restaurateur and visionary, Alice Waters, and who has been called an "exceptional writer" by award-winning author Eloise Greenfield, has performed at Barnes and Nobles, the Nuyorican Poets Café, Revival, Symphony Space, Usdan Theatre, Tavern on the Green, countless schools, libraries and universities, and who has also been featured in television and film-- has the capacity to do just that --touch lives—- and is now in unprecedented demand.

And amazingly, that demand has even spread to Supermodel Helena Christensen, who also recognizes the significance of this outreach, and who carries “Water in the Stones,” in her West Village “Butik.” Christensen's celebrity, as well as the high visibility of places like “Jeunesse,” at Lincoln Center, which also carries the collection, are helping to bring attention to this very important work.

But the focus is on the writing itself; how it can be used to explore how we see ourselves and how each of us can contribute to putting forth more dynamic and comprehensive images of those who make up our nation; our world. Starting with our youth, it’s a look at who we are--and who we want to be.

So what can we say about “Water in the Stones,” and its potential impact? That it is indeed needed and that the time is now. The new conversation has begun, and we invite you to join in.

Enjoy a CD with the added satisfaction that you’re contributing to a greater effort or add to the outreach by making a donation, and join some of the best companies in the Country in raising your voice, in this very important conversation.--HP

--Contributions via PayPal go to:
HalstonPress@hotmail.com

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We'd like to recognize the following individuals and companies for their contributions to the "Water in the Stones" Project:

* "Water in the Stones" was recently selected by Editors at CD Baby to be in the Recommendations for Spoken Word section--in both the Poetry, and Education categories.
The album has also been placed in top position for those
seeking writing reminiscent of Toni Morrison and Pablo Neruda.